Fishing equipment is available in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and configurations for attracting and catching different species of fish. Several examples of fishing lures include spinner baits, jigs, and plastic worms. Another example of fishing equipment used to attract fish such as trout and bass is a fishing fly.
Fishing flies are generally constructed by tying colored materials, such as feathers, yarn, or hair, to a small fish hook so that the completed fishing fly resembles any one of a variety of species of insect that a particular species of fish feeds upon. Accordingly, the fish hooks used for constructing fishing flies are generally very small. For example, a size #18 fish hook for a fishing fly measures approximately 7 millimeters in length.
Fish hooks for constructing fishing flies generally include a J-shaped hook with a barb at one end of a shank for catching the fish and an eye at an opposite end of the shank for tying tippet, fishing line, leaders, or other materials so that the fishing fly can be cast and retrieved. Additionally, other fishing equipment and fishing lures, such as spinner baits and jigs, also include an eye at one end for attaching fishing line or leaders.
Fishing lures and fishing flies, however, suffer several disadvantages. For example, since fishing flies are generally constructed to resemble insects, the size of the fishing fly is generally very small. Accordingly, the fish hook and the eye of the fish hook are generally very small, thereby making it extremely difficult to thread tippet, fishing line, or leaders through the eye of the fish hook. With average or below average eyesight; poor lighting conditions; inclement weather; wind; a necessity to change the fly quickly; or stiff, cold or wet hands; the difficulty and problem of threading the eye of the fish hook is greatly magnified.
Additionally, the size of the eye generally determines the size of tippet, fishing line, or leader that may be used with the fishing fly or fishing lure. The smaller eyes of the fish hooks or fishing lures require smaller fishing line or tippet. Consequently, the fishing line or tippet material becomes smaller in diameter, more limp, more difficult to see, and increasingly difficult to handle. For example, a size #18 fly is approximately 7 millimeters in length, has a fish hook eye outside diameter of approximately 0.75 millimeters, a fish hook eye inside diameter of approximately 0.30 millimeters, and will generally accommodate fishing line or tippet material through the eye of the fish hook of approximately 0.13 millimeters or less. Thus, the flexibility of using a variety of sizes of fish hooks, lures, flies or other fishing devices with different diameter fishing line is limited.